Live each weekday, the “Crowd Goes Wild” for Michael Kosta on FOX Sports 1

Michael Kosta worked on Labor Day, while Tim Tebow did not.

So Kosta, a stand-up comedian, used his new job as co-anchor on FOX Sports 1’s Crowd Goes Wild to implore the NFL to take a chance on Tebow (newly cut by the New England Patriots) and keep the former Heisman Trophy winner employed, too.

“Why hast thou forsaken Tebow? I plead with you, football world! Help me get this giant hunk of football mediocrity back into football!” Kosta said on live TV Monday afternoon, and offered a few potential destinations around the world to take him in. “Where would sports entertainment television be without this beautiful mass of bad throwing mechanics? I mean, as a comedian, on this panel, I need him. Without Tebow, this show may cut me!”

Here’s the full segment.

Kosta was a state champion tennis player in Michigan and a Big Ten champ at Illinois before turning pro, all before becoming a professional stand-up comedian. His comedy career took him to the HBO Aspen and Montreal Just For Laughs festivals, as well as Conan, The Tonight Show and a half-hour on Comedy Central.

He picked the racket back up, so to speak, with a webseries last year called Sports. Kosta. Basement. And he picked up some live TV hosting skills guesting on the last days of G4’s Attack of the Show.

All of which comes in handy and then some in his new gig, on a panel alongside Regis Philbin from 5-6 p.m. Eastern Mondays-Fridays. The show has today off due to airing of UFC fights.

On Monday, Kosta also threw his “Questions Out of Left Field” to guest Rob Riggle, then sat alongside Riggle to improvise play-by-play while wearing fake mustaches.

“Monday’s show had a few more comedy bits than normal, which is my preference!” Kosta told The Comic’s Comic. “We will always have comedy (I’ll make sure of it) but just depending on the days and topics it will depend on what kind of pieces we can do. (Tuesday) was more physical with UFC fighter Meisha Tate putting me in a arm bar submission.”

How much time do you spend each day writing jokes for the show?

“Jake Plunkett and Scott Rogowsky help me create, write and fine tune the bits and they both do a wonderful job.  Dave Easton works on the Questions Out of Left Field which has become a big signature bit for us. Could we use twenty more comedy writers?  Yes!  But maybe down the road.”

And how do they balance out all the parts of Crowd Goes Wild — there’s you, Regis and the others — do they try to make sure everyone gets equal air time, or is it structured so Regis is the big name, you’re the comedian, and then there’s everyone else? Just trying to figure it out. Maybe you guys still are, too.

“There are a lot of personalities to balance of course.  The best part about the show is how different we all are. Jason (Gay) is the journalist, Trevor (Pryce) is the player, I’m the comedian, Georgie (Thompson) is the sportscaster and Regis is of course just Regis. Katie (Nolan) is our social peeps and also a very funny person as well.  Everyone love sports but also is quite funny in their own way.  No show on TV has such a weird panel but it somehow works.”

Here is the video postcard Kosta made to introduce himself to Regis. Roll it!

Crowd Goes Wild airs live weekdays at 5 p.m. Eastern on FOX Sports 1.

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

View all posts by Sean L. McCarthy →